Switch block and switch



April 22, 1941. w. H. FRANK SWITCH BLOCK AND SWITCH Filed May 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR V M ATTORNEY April 22, 1941. w. H. FRANK SWITCH BLOCK AND SWITCH ZSheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 20, 1938 INVENTOR.

- ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

SWITCH BLOCK AND swrron William H. Frank, Detroit, Mich. Application May 20', 1938, Serial No. 209,027

2 2 Glaims.

This application relates to switch blocks and switches and, more particularly, discloses a device characterized by the fact that the movable switching member is in the nature of a-rocker type element.

For an understanding of the device, reference should be had to the specification which follows and to the appended drawings. In these drawings,

Fig, 1 is a plan view of a switch block equipped for cartridge fuses;

Figs. 2 and 3 are views on corresponding lines of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a right end view of Fig. 3;

Fig, 5 is an end view of the movable switching member per se; i

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 11 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 shows the block equipped for plug fuse use.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the switch block hereof comprises an insulation base It having thereon load terminal connectors H connected to fuse clips I2 adapted to be connected by fuses Hi to fuse clips ii in turn connected to the exposed ends a of stationary contacts I6 adapted to be connected by the movable switching member, later to be described, to the other stationary contacts 11 formed with exposed ends l=8 having thereon terminal binding means I9 to which are to be connected line conductors, not shown.

The switching operation comprises the act of moving a movable switch member so that movable contacts thereof will bridge the pairs of contacts Iii-l1 for circuit closing or to permit them to be unbridged for circuit opening.

Between the pairs of fuse clips l2|5 is a barrier or wall 2| terminating at its ends in barriers 22 and 23. Spaced from the barrier 23 but aligned with it is a barrier 24 which is disposed between the pairs of parts l8l9. Thus parts of opposite polarity (l2-I4l5l5al8--l9) are isolated by the barrier formed by parts 2l-24.

Bridging the space between barriers 23--24 is a strap 25 which is held down on the upper ends of these barriers in any suitable manner as by means of screw bolts 26 passing through holes 21 of the barriers; these barriers 2324 are thus abutments as well. The strap 25 passes loosely through a hole 28 in a thick plate 29 of insulation disposed in the space between parts 2.324 and thus journals such plate. The upper part of the plate 29 is relatively thick; the

lower part is considerably thinner; through such lower part pass two U-shaped movable contacts 3|, these being disposed in slots 32 of the plate and beingspring pressed, by compression springs 33, towards the lower ends of these slots; The upper ends of the springs bear against U-shaped shoulders 34 integrally formed on the plate 29.

The contacts, are laterally spaced to correspond to. the spacing of the stationary contacts Iii-l1 and thus form bridging contacts for these stationary contacts.

Switching is effected by rocking the plate 29 on its strap 28 as an axle so that the contacts 31 are in engagement with and bridge the stationary contacts 16-11 for circuit closing or are out of line and out of engagement with respect to these stationary contacts for circuit opening.

For providing quick break action and indexing of the plate 29 in either one of its two positions there is provided in a slot 35 of the block, under plate 29, a flat spring 36, humped at 31, as shown, to cooperate with a projection 38 formed on the lower arcuate edge of the plate 29.- The movement of such projection over the hump or hill 31 to either side of such hump serves to effect snap action and provide the indexing characteristic desired.

It will be observed that the upper edge 39 of the plate is formed concave so as to provide a rocker type handle for the plate which functions as the movable switch member; and on the broad surface of such upper edge may be provided markings to indicate the on and 01f positions of the switch.

It will also be observed that the stationary contacts I E-i1 are not closely confined in formations of the block, even though the pairs of stationary contacts are separated by the barriers 213-24 and that part of the plat-e between the U-shaped shoulders .34 surrounding the movable contacts. In this way, nothing exists around the points of contact break to interfere with free escape of arcing gases from contact break points on contact break, such gases to be dissipated rapidly in the ambient atmosphere.

However, if it is preferred to confine the arcs more closely than they will be confined by the structure disclosed, the edges of the block may be built up around the stationary contacts, generally identical in form and shape, to form cells in which the stationary contacts are disposed and closely confined. i

'It will also be observed that the entire movable mechanism of the switch, comprising parts 29-34 and the axle 25 with its mounting screws the remainder of the switch block and switch parts and may be associated with the switch block without requiring disassembly of any parts. The plate, with its movable contact parts therein and with its axle loosely disposed in the journal hole 28 and with the screw bolts 26 pendantfrom the axle 25, may be associated with the block by disposing the plate in the space between barriers 23-24 and at the same time fitting strap 25 onto the barriers 23-24 and the bolts 26 into holes 21.

After such assembly operation, nuts may be threaded onto the lower free ends of the screw bolts 26 to pull down the strap 25 and the plate 29. Spring resistance at this time will be ofiered to such pulling down of the plate and strap by the engagement of the plate projection 28 with the humped spring 36 and when the nuts on the bolts 26 are properly threaded on, the spring 36 will ofier spring resistance against the plate projection 38.

For partially shielding the stationary contacts against undesired outside contact, the block may be built up on its edges around the stationary contact, substantially as shown at 40, Fig, 2.

If desired, the block may be equipped for use with plug fuses, in which case the contacts l6 will be connected as shown in Fig. 8 to connector straps 42 and center contact screws 43 through plug fuses 44 disposed in socket shells 45 connected to terminal connector straps 46 having conductor binding screws 41 threaded into them. Because it is desired that a block be useful for cartridge fuse-use or plug fuse use interchangeably, the barrier 2| ls concaved as shown in Fig. 1 to provide clearance for the plug fuses and their shells.

I claim:

l. A double pole switch comprising a base having two laterally spaced pairs of stationary contacts, each pair comprising two longitudinally spaced stationary contacts having their contact surfaces arranged to extend horizontally, and a vertically arranged manually actuable plate extending laterally from one pair to the other, and disposed between one stationary contact of each of the two pairs and the other stationary contact of each of the two pairs, the plate having two movable contacts, each arranged for engaging and bridging the stationary contacts of a pair when alined therewith, the engaging surfaces of the movable contact extending horizontally and longitudinally in opposite directions away from the plate a considerable distance, means journalling the plate so that it may be rotated on a longitudinally extending horizontal axis to move its contacts laterally so as to align them with the pairs of stationary contacts, for circuit closing, or to withdraw them from the pairs of stationary contacts for circuit opening, springs on the plates for biasing the movable contacts radially away from the axis of rotation of the plate towards the stationary contacts, and a leaf spring for retaining the plate in the position it happens to occupy and for imparting snap movement to the plate into the other position thereof when the plate is moved manually towards such other position.

2. A double pole switch comprising a base having two laterally spaced pairs of stationary contacts, each pair comprising two longitudinally spaced stationary contacts having their contact surfaces arranged to extend horizontally, and a vertically arranged manually actuable plate extending laterally from one pair to the other, and disposed between-one stationary contact of each of the two pairs and the other stationary contact of each of the two pairs, the plate having two movable contacts, each arranged for engaging and bridging the stationary contacts of a pair when alined therewith, the engaging surfaces of the movable contact extending horizontally and longitudinally in, opposite directions away from the plate a considerable distance, means journalling the plate 'so that it may be rotated on a longitudinally extending horizontal axis to move its contacts laterally so as to align them with the pairs 'of stationary contacts, for circuit closing, or to withdraw them from the pairs of stationary contacts for circuit opening, springs on the plates for biasing the movable contacts radially away from the axis of rotation of the plate towards the stationary contacts, and a leaf spring for retaining the plate in the position it happens to occupy and for imparting snap movement to the plate into the other position thereof when the plate is moved manually towards such other position, the plate and base being so formed that the exposed surfaces of the plate are accessible only for a push against either end of the plate, on opposite sides of the axis of rotation, towards the under edge of the plate.

WILLIAM H. FRANK. 

